The Grass is Always Greener
by coolkid112
Summary: Draco Malfoy is preparing to go back to Hogwarts for his seventh year, newly redeemed in the eyes of Voldemort and his family despite his failure. What happens when his childhood best friend reappears, and why is she being so nice to him? Draco/Astoria
1. Chapter 1

"Master Malfoy?" The little elf entered the room quietly, its big brown eyes wide.

"What?"

"There is a young lady here requesting to see you."

"I will be right down."

The house elf hurried away, long gone before its master exited the room.

"Pansy again, no doubt," the boy muttered as he made his way to the main entrance of his family's grand home. Upon entering the hallway, however, it became apparent that the 'young lady' here to visit him was not his 'girlfriend'.

"Astoria Greengrass," he whispered, more than a little surprised to see her.

"Draco!" The girl said warmly, a smile on her face as she whipped around from the portrait she had been admiring to walk toward him. To his immense surprise, she threw her arms around him and hugged him, as if it was normal for her to be standing in his house.

Draco paused for a moment, waiting until their awkward hug was over to speak. "Wha… What are you doing here?" Despite his efforts not to stare at her, he found himself soaking in every detail. She had changed so much since they had last met.

"What's wrong?" The seventeen year old smiled playfully, though her eyes were working hard to mask the concern she felt at his hesitance. "Can't a girl visit her best friend? If we even count as friends anymore. I mean, you've been avoiding me for ages."

"Uh.. Yeah," Draco looked pained as he awkwardly choked the words out, something similar to guilt clawing at his throat. "I can explain-"

Astoria quickly cut him off. "I'm only joking. It's fine. I'm sure you have your reasons," she said with a smile, a small gesture that immediately put Draco more at ease- though not by much. The tension in the room was only heightened by the fact that they were both ignoring it, and after a beat of silence, Draco nervously suggested that they head to his room so they could talk. Astoria complied, and they went on their not-so-merry way through the labyrinth of hallways and stairways. Finally, the two teens reached his over the top, Slytherin style bedroom. He noticed her looking around and couldn't keep a small smirk from climbing onto his face.

"You can sit," he offered, sitting on his bed and motioning for her to do the same. She did, still carefully studying his room, as if it would tell her about him. While she was busy analyzing the room, he was busy analyzing her. She had really changed, physically, since their last meeting. She had gotten taller by a few inches, though compared to him she was still quite short. He couldn't help but notice that she had really filled out, though he was slightly ashamed to be thinking such things about his childhood friend. His eyes moved to her face, and he drank in every detail, his attraction- scarily enough- only deepening. Her hair was the same dirty blonde color, but the frizzy mess of curls, which had always been such a source of amusement, had calmed down some, instead falling around her face in soft waves. She turned toward him suddenly, and their eye contact was electric, as were her eyes. They were still blue, a little too intense, and much too big for her face.

"I would say nice room, but it seems you already know that. I see you still have no other facial expression than that stupid little smirk, though I must say, you've grown into it more now," she said coolly, though the skill with which she was able to copy his smirk perfectly was shocking to him. It had been so long; had he really changed that little? Within seconds, though, her face reverted to a smile, showing that she hadn't really changed either. She had never been able to keep a straight face for long.

"So, what brings you here? Draco asked, raising and eyebrow in an attempt to hide how very curious he was.

Astoria's face was caught between a smile and a grimace, "Well, actually, my family is moving."

"To where?" Draco asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Here," she answered after a short pause.

"Oh." There was an awkward pause. "Well, that's…" He trailed off, unsure what to say. Was she happy about it, or was she sat to be abandoning America for her birth country.

"It's a good thing. I mean, it's mostly good," Astoria said, in a strangely soft voice. The tender tone was gone when she continued. "I mean, I'll miss my friends and stuff, but I knew it was coming."

Draco nodded, playing oblivious to the emotion in her voice. "Are you going to Hogwarts?"

"Yeah," Astoria said, her face lighting up in a grin. "I guess you'll have to deal with me."

Draco didn't respond, but instead found himself staring at her again, trying to process what he was feeling; something he had never been good at. "You know," he said suddenly after a moment. "It's really nice to see you."

"You too." Their eyes locked. "You stopped writing back."

Draco quickly looked away, embarrassment and shame (two emotions that Malfoys did not feel) rising up in him. "I know. I'm sorry."

"I'm sure you had your reasons," Astoria said quietly, a small, very forced smile on her face. She kept her tone light, not much wanting to ruin their first reunion. There would be time to get at each other later, but for right now she just wanted to enjoy seeing him, being with him again. They had been remarkably close as children, as their parents were very close. Despite Astoria attending Beauxbatons Academy of Magic rather than Hogwarts when the time came, they both gave their best efforts to visit with each other on breaks and holidays and they remained the best of friends. That is, until Voldemort made his infamous return during her third year of schooling. Her parents had been there that night, and about a month later they got called to the Dark Lord, and given a mission. Astoria never found out what it was, and she had a feeling she would never know, but she was forbidden from having any contact with the Malfoys or any family aligned or suspected of being aligned with the Dark Lord. It was too risky, her parent's had said, and we don't need to attract any more attention to ourselves. She and Draco, of course, paid no heed to the warning and continued to write in secret, keeping each other informed on the happenings of life. The last letter she ever received from Draco had caused her great worry; it informed her of his father's arrest. It was probably the most emotional letter either of them had ever sent, and she still had it saved, because before today she hardly knew if he was alive, if he was okay. She continued daily to write him letters of concern, letters of hope. Eventually, it became once a week, then once a month, and finally she just stopped bothering. It was over a year ago that they last talked, and now she was sitting in her room, desperately trying to make everything okay again. Whatever her parents had been ordered to do was done, and now her father was practically Voldemort's right hand man, so of course the Dark Lord wanted the Greengrass' to be close to him, in England. Though her parents were followers, Astoria did not particularly agree with them. It was expected that she would do as she told, and she was never one to let people down, but she knew her superiority was not only due to her blood status. She liked to think of herself as a good person, even if she sometimes took advantage of her financial situation and her family's social standing. If she wanted something, she got it. That was something she and Draco had in common, since they were very young.

"Are you staying for dinner?" Draco asked, breaking the silence that had fallen between the two.

"Yeah," Astoria said, stretching into a lying position on his bed, pulling one of the surprisingly fluffy pillows toward her. She noted happily that his bed was the most comfortable thing ever, and made him a note to ask him what charms he had on it to make it so comfortable. "Your parents invited us. I just wanted to stop by early to say hey, so that it wouldn't be a complete surprise."

"I'm glad you did," he said honestly, following her lead and stretching out on the bed. Astoria could tell that he was slightly uncomfortable, unable and unwilling to believe that she had forgiven him so easily. Smart boy.

"I thought a warning would be nice. Things are sure to be tense enough. School starts in like a week, right?"

Draco glanced over at her at the troubled sound in her voice. She was clearly thinking about something, and the intensity in her face had him laughing out loud. "Don't think too hard, Astoria. I can feel the Earth shaking, and what a shame it would be for your head to explode so soon after arriving."

Astoria's jaw dropped and she playfully hit him, pulling herself up into a sitting position. "I do not appreciate that comment, Mr. Malfoy! You may be able to speak to the slobs at Hogwarts that way, but I assure you that I will not tolerate being spoken to in such a manner." She turned away from him dramatically, "And to think I was going to ask you to come to Diagon Alley with me tomorrow."

"As dramatic as ever, I see," he noted with a grin. "I would love to accompany the Royal Highness to get her school supplies. But, I fear we will have to get through dinner first."

With a small giggle, Astoria turned back around to face him, her face lit up in a smile. "Good. And now that we have the royalty ranks established, I am going to go home and get ready for dinner." She stood up and half-hugged him, a difficult task as he was still sitting on the bed. "See you later."

Draco watched her disappear through the fireplace in his room, and when she was gone he couldn't keep a grin off of his face. Astoria was still so innocent, so energetic, and he felt something he hadn't experienced in a while. Happiness. He was happy that she was back, and the feeling was such an oddity. The past year had taken its toll on him, being ordered to kill Albus Dumbledore was very, very intimidating, and he hadn't planned on making it out alive. He had pushed everyone away from him, and he had pushed her away more than anyone. It had never occurred to him that they might reunite so soon after, and never in his wildest dreams did he think she would so willingly fall back into friendship with him. Draco had failed his mission; that was unchangeable. He had managed to steal some of the old man's memories while he and Snape were running away, and that had been his saving grave. The Dark Lord had spared him, and his father had managed to find some valuable information, which had greatly aided in the Malfoy's security. The Malfoys, though not the most secure in their safety, were once again safe from the wrath of Voldemort, and he had a feeling that with the added protection of the Greengrass', they would have a bit more breathing room. And now, he had Astoria back. Of course, he knew that he would have to explain to Astoria what had happened, why he didn't- couldn't talk to her. Couldn't let her know what he had done, what he had become. He rubbed his temples, sighing. Day by day. He would just have to take it day by day, and before he could do anything, he would have to get through dinner.


	2. Chapter 2

Astoria walked down the stairs in their new house, looking around. It was nothing extravagant, her parents weren't much on entertaining and there were only three of them. It was two stories, the downstairs containing a rather large dining room, a nice sized living room, and three bedrooms; her parents and two guest rooms. Upstairs was Astoria's domain; it included the master bedroom and two spare rooms. One she had converted into her closet, and the other was a guest room. She saw her parents waiting, her father in an expensive suit and her mother in an elegant green dress that hit the floor ever so slightly, giving the impression that she was gliding rather than walking. Astoria wore a dark blue dress that fell just above her knees, which perfectly complemented her figure. She saw something in her mother's eye, a spark of sadness. Astoria sent her mother a weak smile, already knowing what was running through the woman's head.

"You look beautiful," she heard her mother say, though she wasn't paying the compliment much attention. With a heavy heart, she noticed how quickly her mother looked away from her, the obvious left unsaid. No one in their family talked about how much Astoria resembled her late sister Daphne, or how it took a formal gathering to get their family together in one room. Astoria watched her parents disappear through the flames, and she pushed all unhappy thoughts from her mind as she stepped into the fireplace.

"Malfoy Manor," she said clearly, appearing in the Malfoys' main sitting room and immediately being greeted by the family. She and Draco's parent quickly separated from the two teens, clearly having something to discuss. Astoria couldn't say she minded, nor could she say she didn't notice how good Draco looked in a suit.

"Hey, long time no see," Astoria said with a bright smile. Draco, also smiling, led her to the grand dining room, making sure to pull her chair out for her. They were told to be seated, and he sat next to her, the six of them covering about a third of the massive table. The adults seemed quite tense, and Astoria was trying to figure out a way to ask Draco without it being overly obvious when she understood. Chills ran up and down as her spine as the face of evil walked in, something sickly similar to a smile twisting on his face as he sat at the head of the table.

"Oh, how I love seeing two of my favorite families becoming so close." Astoria couldn't help but note that he seemed truly pleased, a terrifying fact. The food appeared shortly after his arrival, and nothing more was said. Occasionally, someone would comment on the food, but the table remained a bundle of tension, right up until the final course was finished and the teenagers were asked to leave the room.

"Don't have to tell me twice," Astoria thought, and with one glance at the expression on Draco's face she could tell he was thinking the same thing. She stood and did a little courtesy, thanking the Malfoys for their hospitality and promptly exiting the room, Draco close behind. The second the door closed behind them, Draco visibly relaxed, but Astoria did no such thing.

"Come with me," Astoria said suddenly, grabbing his hand and half dragging him over to the fireplace. She grabbed floo powder and gripped his hand tighter, clearly stating her address as they jumped into the fire. They appeared in her room, the marble fireplace lit with multi-colored flames. She stepped out and jumped on her giant bed, feeling much more at ease now that they weren't under the same room as the embodiment of evil.

"Your room is…" he started as he sat next to her, looking around in awe. Everything was exaggeratedly large and colorful, managing to not look tacky. "Wow," was the word he finally settled on, to Astoria's obvious amusement.

"Thank you," she said in passing, her face determined as she went straight to business. "Why was he there?" Her expression was tense, and it was obvious she wasn't about to let this go without an answer.

"Oh, I don't know. I didn't know he was coming, or I would have warned you." Her expression didn't change, and he continued, trying to ease her worrying mind. "It was just business, I'm sure."

Astoria nodded, but not much about her expression changed.

"Hey," Draco said softly, making eye contact with her. He could tell she was worried, and something about that didn't sit with him the right way. "Don't worry, okay? Everything is fine."

Astoria was taken by surprise at the tenderness in his voice, and she really believed him. Her features relaxed as she nodded, "I guess I'm just not used to this. He and my parents haven't spoken since we left England al that time ago, or else if they have I haven't known about it. I'm not used to being in the presence of… that. My mind automatically assumes that if he's around, something bad happened, because that's how it was in the beginning. If he came around, that meant something went wrong.

"I understand, trust me," Draco said, laughing bitterly. "But now, he has more freedom, and we see a lot more of him around here. Really, it's nothing to worry about. Besides, he seemed to be in a good mood.

"I know, it was disturbing," Astoria said, a hint of a smile creeping onto her face.

"So, Diagon Alley tomorrow?" Draco asked, wasting no time in changing the subject.

"Yes!" A real smile lit up her face, and most if not all of the former tension melted away. "Can't wait. I love shopping."

"Okay. I think I should probably be getting back, then. After all, I need my beauty rest.

"Yes, you do. I'll meet you there at seven, okay?"

Draco's jaw dropped. "In the morning?"

"Yes?" Astoria stared at him, and he stared back, the surprise unwavering. Finally, she laughed. "Fine. I guess that is a little early. How about ten?"

"Much better. I'll meet you at Gringotts, okay? I have to get some money out, so I'll do that first."

"Sounds great," Astoria said, attempting to keep her expression from revealing how very excited she was. They said their goodbyes, and Astoria quickly changed into her nightclothes, glad to be out of the stiff dress. She crawled into her bed and curled into a ball, carefully reviewing the day's events. A smile crept onto her face as she thought about Draco; things were so comfortable and natural with him, and she was glad that they were able to reunite as friends. She forced her eyes closed, and her thoughts drifted to how much they didn't know about each other. Neither of them knew anything about the past year of their lives, and she knew that a lot had happened to both of them. The last thing of serious importance that she had told him about was her sister's death, but she didn't include details. Luckily, he didn't press the issue because she would have been unable to answer. Someday, she knew, she would tell him what had happened, and hopefully someday he would tell her what he had been up to. At this rate, it was evident that she would be up thinking all night, so she forced herself to focus on something uninteresting. Her mind settled on her courses at Hogwarts, which did the trick. In a matter of moments, she was breathing evenly, a small smile playing on her lips even as she fell asleep.


End file.
